Nations worldwide are expressing their worries as the President seems to be setting his sights on Greenland, citing what he claims are U.S. national security interests. Amid the growing controversy, two senior Canadian officials are said to be planning a trip to Greenland — with a potential embassy opening there on the agenda.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Governor General Mary Simon, who has Inuk heritage, are anticipated to visit Greenland in early February, per [source]. Simon, who became Canada’s first Indigenous governor general — the representative of Britain’s King Charles as head of state — in 2021, previously served as Canada’s ambassador to Denmark.
This visit coincides with Canada’s plans to establish a consulate in Greenland.
“The future of Greenland and Denmark is determined exclusively by the people of Denmark,” the Prime Minister stated during a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at Canada’s embassy in Paris, as reported by the AP. The two leaders were in France for a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, which centered on Ukraine.
Frederiksen commended Carney and expressed faith in NATO’s capacity to uphold security in the Arctic region.
“Your statements have been very clear regarding respect for national sovereignty,” Frederiksen told Carney. “We both aim to secure the Arctic region, and alongside all our NATO allies, we can safeguard it—hopefully, everyone is ready to collaborate.”
Trump recently stirred attention by reiterating his call for the U.S. to [action], which he claims would be a critical component of U.S. security.
“We require Greenland for national security reasons,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “Currently, Greenland is surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships everywhere. We need Greenland from a national security perspective, and Denmark won’t be capable of handling it.”
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller maintained on Monday that no one would resist U.S. military action in Greenland. He told CNN’s Jake Tapper, “No one will engage in military conflict with the United States over Greenland’s future,” [source].
These comments sparked anger among leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the U.K., who joined Frederiksen in defending Greenland’s sovereignty. Greenland is an Inuit self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Efforts to intervene in the dispute follow Trump’s remarks about making it the 51st state.
A joint statement from Frederiksen, French President [name], German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared, “Greenland belongs to its people.”
“Matters pertaining to Denmark and Greenland are to be decided by Denmark and Greenland alone,” the statement noted.
Anand and Simon’s offices did not immediately reply to [Digital]’s request for comment.